- UPDATE APRIL 16TH 2009 - General Growth bankrupt. Click here for posting -
WARNING: this audio broadcast will contain offensive material.Concerns open allowed displays of vulgarity of the highest order on display this date in the Bayshore Mall, Eureka Ca., a General Growth Properties owned mall. The material under discussion in this broadcast is marketed toward pre-teen young girls urging them to advertise their willingness to engage in sex. Mall security notified and dismissed complaint as free speech. Offending retailer - Spencer Gifts ( also called Spencer’s Gifts ) ….located in virtually every mall across the country. 05/18/08
If you have children, you should listen to this broadcast. For more information on Spencer Gifts and run ins with their behavior towards children….see PAST INVESTIGATIONS
FOLLOW UP NOTE: three hours later. 05/18/08 - I have received so many emails from listeners who frankly just didn’t believe it could be happening that I sent two people back to the Spencer Gifts, after my complaints mind you….and had them purchase one of the shirts from a smiling girl named Andrea on the receipt at 2:53 pm, P.S.T. I am placing links to the pictures here. Warning, very offensive. Picture #1 Picture #2. Remember, these are marketed toward our young girls, and as mentioned in the broadcast, with approval of the store and the mall security that I spoke with. I want to be clear here, the shirt was not inside the store, but front and center facing the mall center outside the store in clear view on a rack….in full view of the many children in the area it was being marketed to.
FOLOW UP: 05/19/08 - Both local Eureka Ca. daily newspaper news departments, The Eureka Reporter, and The Times Standard, as well as local NBC station KIEM were notified along with contact information approximately 12 hours ago. Will report back as to how serious local media treats the marketing of sex to our kids, or if the daily advertising outweighs the responsibility to local communities. As I mentioned in the broadcast below, this is the canary in the mineshaft in the war on our culture….and the sexualization of our children by businesses…..for profit. This is happening down the street from you. Right now.
Discussion thread on this topic via Free Republic…….
News Story via Pipe Line News on this subject……. Note, this and other websites are choosing to run the pictures, WARNING offensive material.
Final note 19 May 08 - lots going on with this, will discuss in detail during the regular Friday night live show of the Old Glory Radio Hour. We may even be auctioning off the shirt for charity money going to an Abused Children Organization.
NOTE: MAY 20TH - Well I guess I can stop writing letters, (Al Sharpton was next, God help us) ….a local weekly liberal oriented journal here, North Coast Journal, broke the local media silence and brought to light this situation in the area. Still nothing but chirping crickets from the daily newspapers despite another round of contact by myself. While I am at it I want to personally thank Humboldt County Supervisor Bonnie Neely, for being the only elected official to return my phone calls. Probably not much she can do, but it is harder for merchants to put things like this in front of our children when they know they are being watched. Still no call back from the Mayor’s Office. Join me this Friday evening during our Live Show for a discussion on what I am calling Rape Inc……as we follow the money trail…..Tom
AUDIO
5 responses so far ↓
Maria // May 18, 2008 at 7:41 pm
This outrage is along the lines of the t-shirt I saw at a military base exchange… a suggestive shirt in the girls’ clothing section that said “My Parents Are Out Of Town.” There was also a shirt that said “Embarr-assed” with a picture of a mooning teddy bear. These were shirts for young girls. I reported it to the store manager, and he said he would have them removed.
Veronica // May 23, 2008 at 4:14 pm
You do realize that by buying the shirt the company now thinks, “Sweet, a sale!” not understanding the point you are trying to make by actually buying the shirt. I don’t see how this shirt is tied in with raping of pre-teen girls. It is obviously a grown man’s shirt, if a man is wearing that shirt then chances are he’s either A: he has a sense of humor and B: looking for someone his own age. It doesn’t all of a sudden mean that a young girl is raped. If you didn’t like the shirt then maybe you should have looked away? Everyone knows what kind of store Spencer’s is, they’ve been around for quite a long time, obviously complaining about 1 shirt isn’t going to shut them down or make them change their ways (quite in the same way this comment is going to affect you!).
Where is everyone’s sense of humor? Get off your high horse and welcome yourself to this century!
And Maria, I don’t agree with the shirts, but complaining is a waste of time, you’re better off just NOT BUYING YOUR CHILD THE SHIRT. Or just not shopping there anymore.
Veronica // May 23, 2008 at 4:29 pm
P.S. There is a sign in the window of all Spencer Gift’s cautioning the Adult Content of the store, just because you didn’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist!
Lee // Jun 18, 2008 at 3:51 am
If you have a problem with Spencer’s then why bother to even shop there? all you are doing is blowing smoke about a store that has been a staple in malls across the country for over 40 years(since 1967 to be exact). They take pride in being out there and crazy with their products. What is so wrong with what they sell anyways? It’s words on a shirt, o no watch out there goes the neighborhood. Take a minute to listen to yourself here and back off. Its a store that you can willing not shop in so don’t and leave it at that. With out you buying all the offensive tee shirts to “make a point” there will be more for people like me that actually buy them to ware them so thank you.
EDITOR NOTE: For the last time. It wasn’t in the store, it was in the middle of the mall facing walk by traffic. You know where the little 6 and 7 year old kids walk by. Good grief.
Shatter // Mar 31, 2009 at 10:25 pm
1. The fact that your stating that these shirts are geared towards little girls is FAR from the truth. Spencers targets ages 18 to 21.
2. On the outside of every spencers store you will find a sticker that states “Parental Advisory”. What does this mean? this means that you need to be WATCHING your children and TEACHING them which stores you do and do not want them in. None of the items in Spencer’s is geared towards anyone under the age of 18. Now if your LETTING your children walk into Spencer’s KNOWING what they have in that store… well then I guess thats your choice is it not? Stop using the mall as a baby sitter. I catch more kids stealing then I do adults… hmmm I wonder why… oh because their parents are watching them.
3. You going to the mall and claiming that this is inappropriate… a waste really. You really think that they will ask that store to leave because you made a complaint? or that they even have the right to say anything about whats within that store. NO THEY DON’T! Spencer’s pays their lease as does every other store and within that lease you will find that the mall has no right to say what is right and what is wrong to sell. Note that spencers has never hidden or denied anyone the truth of what they sell.
4. You needing to generalize AMERICA is very undereducated. You think that because you are an american that you have the RIGHT to say anything about anyone. Well yes you do have the right To say whatever the FUCK you want. But its all opinion… nothing you say will or can change what is going on. WHY don’t you go to the white house and tell the president to stop bombing other nations… I think that is ALOT more important that a Tshirt. I’m sure you still think it was osama that caused 9/11. Wake up!
5. And actually spencers is NOT all about making the sell. Spencer’s is about making its CUSTOMER happy. Spencer’s targets people between the ages of 18 to 25. Now here is a question for you… if you put a baby infront of a book that says SEX. Will that baby go and have sex? no because that baby does not understand what sex is… but due to the fact that you have let your children be around anything that might teach them about that including schools… THEN only would the child understand the “Naughty” things that Spencer’s sells. Maybe you should be teaching your children to stay away from places such as Spencer’s until they are old enough to understand and make their own decisions…. oh no wait thats right the mall is your baby sitter… we are the ones teaching your children right? and the Tv… and the radio… and the schools… WOW I guess we’re to blame because your children don’t know right from wrong. Because your not TEACHING THEM RIGHT FROM WRONG.
I’m sorry to say but I am 23. A store manager of a spencers and a past customer when I was younger. I lived through a life of hell compared to what spencer’s depicts. being molested and abused… and funny how I find none of what spencer’s sells harmful. Because none of the stuff we sell isn’t what people aren’t already thinking? Everything Spencer’s sells is based on what the CUSTOMERS want… they don’t just make stuff up to piss you off… THEY GO TO THE SOURCE!! THE CUSTOMERS!!
People come into my store and say “this place is weird”… funny how its not the place but the people that shop there.
if your so worried about your children being exposed to this… lock them up in bubble… because everything I learned as a kid did not come from SPENCERS. It came from school and more horrible places that I would not like to depict for you. and guess what its not SPENCERS fault for what happened to me.
So stop looking for someone or something to blame. take responsibility for your children and if you don’t like something stay the ##### away from it. Thats my free speech to you.
============ ED NOTE: If you had bothered to read the article you would have seen that the shirt WAS NOT IN THE STORE BUT OUTSIDE THE STORE IN THE MALL ASILE. And I am very pleased to announce that store and mall policy was changed as a result of this article in every General Growth property across the nation. As for your marketing to 18 year olds, I still have the shirt and I can state firmly here……unless you are a dwarf, it won’t fit. Nice try though.
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